Lego has officially launched its latest collaboration with Nintendo – the Lego Game Boy.
Priced at a reasonable £54.99 / $59.99 it includes lenticular screens for Mario and Zelda, and is available to pre-order now.
After numerous collaborations with Nintendo over the last few years, Lego set the internet ablaze in January with the tease of a Game Boy set.
It didn't reveal much about it at the time, but the very idea was enough to get collectors and retro gaming fans salivating at the prospect. And as I am both of those things, I could barely contain my excitement.
Now the Lego Game Boy has been fully revealed and I'm just as eager to get my hands on it – the final build looks incredible for a number of reasons. Even better news is that it won't even cost a fortune.
Available to pre-order from Lego in the UK and US now, the set is priced just £54.99 / $59.99. That's a long way removed from the £299 Lego Nintendo Entertainment System that's now been retired (although still available in some places online).
Rated for builders 18 and over, the Lego Game Boy is made up of 421 pieces and makes a "near" 1:1 scale replica of Nintendo's 80s handheld. It has a clear display behind which you can add one of three lenticular screens, which give the impression that the game is animating as you move it around in your hand.
They include the iconic Nintendo start-up screen, plus two of the most renowned games – Super Mario Land and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. You also get buildable versions of their original cartridges.
They can even be slotted into the back of the finished handheld.
Every detail on the Game Boy itself seems to have been perfectly replicated. That includes the button layout, of course, but also the volume dial on the side and other ports and switches.
In truth, I've already pre-ordered one myself, for fear that it could become as popular on the build up to the holidays as the original was back in the late 80s/early 90s (depending on your location).
It seems like Lego has done it again.
